The Golden Rules of Road Tripping

30.08.2024 - 12:25 / cntraveler.com / Nast Traveler

Ahhhh, the great American road trip. A chance to put rubber to pavement along our millions of miles of roads and see the nooks and crannies of the country we’d never otherwise see. Road trips can be truly transformative travel journeys, a meditative way to traverse the countryside, meeting interesting people and exploring unusual sites. They’re also a chance to connect with your fellow road trippers, engaging in hours of conversation you wouldn’t have time for at home.

Along with all that good stuff, road trips have the potential for some big pitfalls, too, and in order to make sure your road trip is more life-changing than life-ruining, there are some basic guidelines first-time and veteran road trippers should follow. So, we talked to the experts (including a gas station food evangelist) who shared their savviest road trip tips and tricks—from how to mentally (and physically) prepare for long road ahead to logistical planning recommendations.

When you see a strip of hotels off an Interstate exit hundreds of miles from the nearest city, you may wonder how they ever fill all those rooms. That is, until you need a room and find they’re all sold out. Booking hotels in advance might lock you into ending your day in a certain destination, but it also saves you some headaches.

“If you’re okay with a roadside motel, you might be ok just picking a random spot. But if you want something a little nicer, don’t count on rooms being available,” says Condé Nast Traveler luxury travel specialist Jonathan Alder.

But you don’t always have to sacrifice flexibility and spontaneity for the promise of a place to sleep. “I normally book hotels in advance of the trip, but I like to change my mind on things sometimes,” says Darley Newman, host and producer of PBS’ Travels with Darley. “And if I wanna change the plan to be able to cancel 24 hours in advance, I think it’s really helpful. So I'll pay extra to do that.”

Roadside diners, food trucks, and yes, even gas stations, may surprise you with their tasty regional food.

It might be tempting to make a highway exit franchise row your lunch stop. But settling for processed tacos or sub sandwiches can mean missing out on some fantastic regional food.

“Some of the best expressions of regional food flavors and unique culinary styles can be found in gas stations,” says Frank Beard, a traveling sales rep who’s become an evangelist for the convenience store industry, and once spent an entire month eating at only gas stations. “Just because someone has four walls and a gas pump doesn’t mean they can’t do something different.”

Some of his favorites include Papu’s Café in Kansas City, who has a top-tier chicken shawarma sandwich; Pig Trail Cafe in Arkansas, who puts out one of the